Eric J Hynden, from Fort Myers, Florida, is the current senior vice president of wealth management and a financial advisor at UBS Financial Services, a firm in his area. Although he has four decades of experience in finance, Eric J Hynden has pursued various personal interests beyond his professional career.
One of his key interests is ministry work. He engaged in various Christian ministries with his wife, Sherri Hynden, including serving as a Christian chaplain for a large international ministry. The couple now supports several other organizations, such as Far-Reaching Ministries, ALPHA Ministries, Word of Life Ministries, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, World Vision, and Teen Challenge Romania.
Eric J Hynden and his wife have also engaged in volunteering activities. For instance, they supported first responders following the September 2022 hurricane and provided spiritual and emotional support to the homeowners affected by the disaster. They have also long supported the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail, Colorado, a place their sons, Benjamin and Daniel, visit each summer with their families.
Recreationally, Mr. Hynden participates in a local community tennis team and supports the community golf tournament. He also enjoys road biking with his wife and supports basketball-related ministry work. Outside sports, he enjoys fishing, a cherished family tradition. Additionally, Mr. Hynden and his family love traveling, often to support Christian ministries and church missions worldwide.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
First, I make sure I get a good-night’s sleep waking up at 8:00am, which I can do now that I am retired. To be productive for the day, I spend 1-2 hours with the Lord to get my heart and mind right. This puts everything else in proper perspective. God blesses the rest of the day as He says in his Word, “seek first the Kindgon of God and His righteousness…” After this, my days vary, but I make sure to eat a healthy lunch and light dinner.
Sometimes during most days, I get exercise either at the gym or playing tennis. Very often each week, I spend time ministering to those in need, whether mentoring a young man or visiting the local retirement home or prison. Lastly, I will challenge my mind through reading or solving puzzles like Sudoku. Each day I am intentional to meet the needs of my body, soul (mind), and spirit, which makes for a fulfilling and productive day.
How do you bring ideas to life?
To bring an idea to life, first, I write the idea(s) down and clearly define them. Then, as time permits, I thoroughly research the idea to determine if it seems practical or viable. Then, I carefully begin to fill in the details surrounding the idea. Each step brings the idea(s) further to life. As the Word says, “do not despise small beginnings…” Finally, I take an actionable step, whether going somewhere, ordering something, or contacting someone to implement the idea and work toward achieving a good outcome.
What’s one trend that excites you?
The trend that excites me the most right now is the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). At this stage of my life, I am eager to see not only how AI will affect my day-to-day life, but the lives of my children and grandchildren. I firmly believe AI is a paradigm shift in the way future generations will live in every aspect of life, from education to healthcare. Every area of life will become much more efficient and productive. Additionally, it will change the global military dynamics of how countries defend themselves.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Starting each day by spending time praying, studying the Word, and seeking the Lord.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t be afraid to take risks. Be adventuresome and follow those areas that really excite, motivate, and fulfill you. Make a career doing what you love.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
I believe that Jesus actually is the Son of God. He is our Creator and our Savior. Since I believe this, after 40 years of study and research, then every day and everything I do is for Him. Serving others and being set free to give my own life away because I know I have eternal life in Him. I want this to be my legacy. Jesus said the greatest two commandments are to love God and love others. I believe this is the true key to happiness in this life and to eternal life.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Go to a Bible teaching/preaching church and serve others.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
If I feel overwhelmed or unfocused, I have to refocus my life on what God says and not what the world says is important. It puts everything back into perspective and gives clarity to the situation. I have found it best not to be self-focused, but others-focused. This is a meaningful and clear life.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Early on in my career, I dedicated my business to God by doing two things. The first is starting each week with a time of devotion at the office. I made this voluntarily available to all staff. Second, we committed to give a large percentage of our earnings to missions work around the globe each year. The result was that God directed and blessed our decisions and brought success to our business.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
Early in my career, I chose to work with a firm before I spent adequate time looking into their culture and reviewing their management strategies. I realized quickly that I didn’t fit in because I didn’t agree with their management style and the way they treated their employees and, even more importantly, how they treated their clients.
I ended up staying with that firm for three long years, then I went on to establish my own firm. It was a difficult three years, but looking back now, I see how it truly helped me to learn and grow. I used the mistakes I made to move forward, and it helped me to not repeat those same mistakes in my own firm and with my own employees and clients. Integrity in business is truly the key to long-term success.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
I use a shared calendar with my wife. You wouldn’t believe how much time this saves both of us. We are aware of any changes and updates to our calendar minute-by-minute, so it helps us avoid miscommunications and missed commitments. The result is a more peaceful, efficient and happy life!
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
There are two books that come to mind. The first is, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. This timeless book offers great advice and examples of how to build effective and lasting relationships to enhance your business/career and really in every part of life. I recommend it to all generations.
The second is, The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber. I recommend this book to anyone who is thinking about starting a business. It really showed me the most common mistakes people make, which Michael calls “entrepreneurial myths,” and how to avoid them. It helped me organize my business for success by using the franchise model. In this model, everyone knows their job(s) and exactly what is expected of them. There is no confusion. It allowed me to excel by doing what I enjoy and build a team around me who would do the necessary work I wasn’t good at. The result is a cohesive team working efficiently and productively to succeed in business.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I am not one to watch movies or series, but I do enjoy the genre of documentaries and have watched many. Generally, I enjoy learning the true-life stories of various people who perhaps failed, picked themselves up and then succeeded. Oftentimes repeating this cycle more than once! The end is not always good, but even then, I feel it is helpful to learn from others and nothing teaches us better than true life.
Key learnings
- Beginning the day with time with God and in his word sets the priorities of the day and grants good mental focus.
- Be careful to always focus on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health to maintain a healthy balance.
- Keep good lines of communication open at all times between all the employees of the firm… have an “open door” policy.
- Communication is key – everyone should feel they have a voice, and that they are heard. Even if you don’t agree, it’s always best to talk it out with respect.
- Live a life of gratitude… thank God for every employee in your business and each and every client.